By Laura Amato
Matt Collier couldn’t stick around for too long.
He had an important meeting.
The brand-new Queens College men’s basketball coach, who was officially introduced during a press conference Tuesday, was meeting with players. Or at least some of them. It’s been a work in progress for the Jamaica native since he was hired last Friday, meeting one on-one with each of his players as he tries to build relationships with them on and off the court.
As far as Collier is concerned, that’s his most important job right now. He’s not thinking about workouts or staff hires or even the recruiting trail. Well, at least not too much. He’s got a lot on his mind. And the most important thing is to create a team.
“I’m ecstatic that I’m here,” Collier said. “Sometimes storybook-type stories can be a little bit corny, but I truly believe it lined up this way because it was the right situation for everyone. It’s just a great marriage and I’m looking forward to capitalizing on that and running with it.”
The past few weeks have been a bit overwhelming for Collier.
A veteran assistant, who spent the last six seasons on the staff at Drexel University, Collier immediately sought out the position with the Knights as soon as he heard it was available. Fast forward a few days and over 90 applicants had applied for the job. Collier was one of a handful of semifinalist selected for a Skype interview just before Memorial Day and, he had to admit, he was nervous.
He wanted this—badly—and was determined to prove he was the perfect candidate. Collier did that and more. He went through nearly half a dozen more interviews, explaining his vision for the program, his commitment to academics and his hopes of building a program in the heart of New York City.
Collier was officially offered the job about a week after his initial interview. It only took a few moments for him to accept.
“I had been thinking for a little while about trying to take that next step to become a head coach,” Collier said. “I tried to present myself as best as I could. I accepted right away. It didn’t take much, probably within 30 seconds from when she handed me the offer letter. It was a dream come true.”
Now that he’s gotten the job and the homecoming, Collier is ready to get to work.
The Knights have faced their fair share of controversy over the past few months as former head coach Darryl Jacobs was removed from the program in February, but Collier is anxious to move beyond that.
Collier knows that this is a difficult road, but he’s more than ready to walk it. Or maybe run. After all, he and his team have places to be.
“It’s not going to be an overnight process,” Collier said. “Especially the way I intend to do it, but I also believe that’s the right way to do it. A quick fix is not going to work here. If we build it the right way, then I believe it’ll be sustained for success over a long period of time and that’s the goal.”
